So much to say, so hard to make it interesting

This is my 50th post and as I write I've had 4636 hits, approximately. I done some stuff and generally flitted about since April when I started but it's been fun.
It's Secret Santa time over at The Blog with No Name and I've joined in the fun.

I've been asked to provide a list of periods and genre's I'm interested in. Well as you an see from the blog it's pretty much everything in 28mm except medieval (just don't have any figs), Napoleonic (too hard to paint and you need too many figs) WW2 and sci fi. Otherwise pretty much everything else takes my fancy. 

Finally I got round to fighting a major VBCW battle (excuse the lighting the lights in my spare room are rubbish), Dinnington miners vs Northumberland Rangers. The miners have control of a large warehouse in Seaton Burn and are using it to store a cache of supplies. The Northumberland Rangers have been sent by the Duke to capture the supplies.

The Rangers enter from the bottom and are faced with a built up area around the warehouse at the top, Maggot's farm to the right and Lime hill to the left. Lots of places for ambush and lots of cover for the enemy

Lime hill is manned by 1/2 squad of miners with a Bren and the Rangers enter within range of their guns. 

1st turn and miners get the initiative but the squad fails its command rol so as they sit and watch the Rangers squad deploys and opens fire killing 2 men and routing the miners off the hill. 

On the otherside of the map the other 2 squads of Rangers including a HQ squad with a Vickers and a knee mortar, advance to towards the wall.

The miners panic and deploy all their figures, OK I panicked. This puts 1/2 squad in farm and other squads in the Bay Horse pub, Meeker terrace and the warehouse.

The rangers advance to the wall undercover and open fire on the miners in the farm, Their 1st volley kills 1 miner and the miners return fire killing a Ranger.

The 2nd volley annihilates the miners. 3 turns and all outlying defenders are removed for the loss of 1 man. This could be a doddle.

The second phase of the battle (today) sees the Rangers assault the village

The 1st squad of rangers took up residence on the hill out of range of the miners in Meeker Terrace

Meanwhile the HQ squad and the 2nd squad advanced through the farm to attack the bay Horse pub

The 2nd squad unleashed another brutal volley on the miners in the Bay Horse and drove them from the upstairs windows enabling them to advance to the hedge under cover

from where they killed the remaining miners in the pub - there are worse places to die (they could have been defending a tea shop... no wait they have cake.)

Meanwhile the HQ squad HMG opened fire on the troops defending the fence line and killed a couple but the miners HMG fired and took out the Ranger's HMG. The knee mortar and the miners homemade trench mortar used up all their rounds in an ineffective duel.

The coup de gras was squad 2 lapping round the Bay Horse and occupying the houses opposite the warehouse. 

This left the miners effectively surrounded and even more out numbered than the start of the battle. I decided to call it off then - no point in last man standing, although I may resume tomorrow and fight the battle of the warehouse.

Generally it was a kicking with the miners losing 16 men to the Rangers 4. Weight of fire was important for the Rangers but the miners were too passive and I panicked so they were picked off piecemeal. 

The 2nd squad of rangers were heroic and medals will be awarded so they deserve this song

Down with Feudalism

I was planning a VBCW battle today but life got in the way. I did however give my quick play Samurai rules a run out. These are similar to the rules I normally play with much less complexity (I try and make them work like movie sequences). There are 4 levels of figures. Level one are peasants and bandits and roll a D4, level 2 are Ashigaru and roll a D6, level 3 are samurai and roll a D8 and sword saints are level 4 and roll a Q10.
The battle was 10 levels per side with the local peasantry (8 level 1 peasants and a level 2 leader - Ko) attacking the local feudal lord Mifume (level 3), his son Kenki (level 3) and 2 level 2 ashigaru.

The battle opens with the peasants rushing the gate guarded by 2 ashigaru. 2 peasants reach but are killed. The ashigaru then advance and block the entrance and attack the next 2 peasants. 1 is killed but the other peasant kills one of the ashigaru.

Meanwhile Kenji has advanced to attack the peasant and Ko that have swung round to the left killing the peasant. There followed an intense fight between Ko and Kenji with Ko landing numerous his and pushing Kenji back for 2 turns but Kenji's armour kept saving him. 

Finally kenji land a killing blow.

At the gate the last ashigaru kills the last peasant and on the right Mifune attacks the 2 peasants there and kills one per turn

A good victory and the rules worked well with the armour and quality of the weapons being the major differences between the units. The peasants needed to gang up more on the higher level troops. A fun hour was had by all - well me anyway as it was a solo game.

This is a properly cool song.

They're Alive

So West Wind have been having a bit of a sale on vehicles - buy 1 get 1 free - more to follow later. But it got me thinking about IHMN, rules I've had for ages but never used. West Wind have a few other things on sale.
I present Dr Frankenstein and his monsters, more Empire of the Dead than IHMN but close enough

Frankenstein is a conversion from a Perry ACW officer with an an industrially large cattle prod made from a ram rod and wire.
Then we have the 4 monsters

These guys are big as can be seen in the group shot

Next I need to find an Igor or some handlers.

My parents 50th wedding anniversary yesterday and this guy featured heavily. in the music, which was really cool 

Shepherd and Sheep

No painting or gaming done the last few days, a dose of man flu (my first for 4 years) at the weekend. Thursday and Friday was spent with my new 1st years at a team building and getting to know you session in Swaledale. The weather was glorious in North Yorkshire and the students are a great group.

I ran a shepherd and sheep game, 4 students are blindfolded and the shepherd has to call them into a pen using only a whistle - par is about 6 minutes and 1 group did it in 93 seconds which is all very promising for the future.

This is the most obvious song

Calling him a muse is simply weird

So I posted monks with guns recently, an idea I stole from Clint. In the comments Evan of Canister and Grape fame suggested Bishops with Brens. Great idea so I made this guy tonight

He is a gripping beast arab with a conical helmet cut and sanded to a mitre. The stole, the thing around his neck (I had to look that up) is a foil take away container. He looks Greek for some reason.
Does that make Evan my muse. We've never met but I can't imagine him in a diaphanous frock

This has been my earworm for about a week

I do love a Lucky Bag

One of the odd things about my addiction is my penchant for Northstar lucky bags. These are a bargain and are usually full of figures I can use. More importantly it's like getting a surprise present so double the excitement. I ordered one last week and it arrived today. I was a mega bag (I hate the word mega) of 40 figures for £28 + p&p, basically 1/2 price.This one was not the greatest but did contain the following

9 assorted german WW2 figs which will join my Northumbrian Rangers who are basically Finnish infantry figs

6 British WW2 infantry inc bren gunner and PIAT. Again VBCW although the PIAT is 1942. However the PIAT is sufficiently madcap to be VBCW

Couple of US paratroopers, convertable for VBCW

5 African figures, very useful as I have lots of these

2 Bengal infantry and a Brit drummer, nice.

Random 7YW highlander, good for my Last of Mohicans collection

7YW pikeman, have an army for him

Yakuza, use these to fight zombies and the suchlike

Couple of Frostgrave chaps and a "Numidian" trumpeter.

Finally the odds, figures I can't use as is. There were a lot of these in the pack, 9, but I can convert 3 easily and a head swap gives me a butler with a sword, or standard or rifle.

Overall pretty pleased

The best ideas are not copied but blatantly stolen

I stole this idea from Clint at Anything but a One. It is a good one. These are French WW2 Goumier troops by Artizan Designs that have been repainted as monks for VBCW. Instead of the fancy Berber stripes these are simply painted black to represent Benedictines (I think it's been a very long time since I paid any attention  to Religion), Clint's were Franciscians,

These will join up with my Anglican League section and be based on Lindisfarne where they will offer comfort to all in need and a bullet to everyone else. If you've never been I strongly recommend it, it reeks of history, but don't pay to go into the abbey as you can see all of it from the path the surrounds it. I have a great plan for an invasion of Lindisfarne by land and sea - watch this space but the field will be something line this with a separate road action on the causeway

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/vikings/viking_raiders/ 

The Goumier packs I purchased contain 2 other figures, one dressing US GI uniform and one with a French infantry helmet. I use the latter to add to my fire brigade section. These are heavy infantry with an ATR and 2 flame throwers (obviously). He will make a fine officer for them.

Dodgy monks with guns can only be this - not all punk rock